ISO 45008 – Remote workplaces

What is ISO 45008?

The forthcoming ISO 45008, Guidance on remote working, is an international standard that provides practical guidance on how organisations can create a good work environment, safety and wellbeing for employees working outside the organisation's direct control – for example from home, at customer locations, in private homes or at isolated external workplaces.

The standard describes typical remote working situations and their occupational health and safety implications:

• Homeworking – ergonomics, workflows, boundaries between work and private life
• Isolated external sites – lone working, emergencies, communication
• Workplaces under the control of other organisations – coordination, conflicting instructions, access to information
• Working in private homes – unpredictable environments, psychological risks, interaction with residents/customers

The standard supplements ISO 45001, but can be used by any organisation wishing to work systematically and proactively with health, safety and wellbeing in remote work, regardless of scale, sector risk profile or organisational maturity.

What does ISO 45008 cover?

ISO 45008 provides concrete guidance on how organisations can identify, assess and manage the particular occupational health and safety challenges of remote work – including limited supervision, unpredictable work environments and increased psychosocial strain.

The standard provides guidance on, among other things:

• roles and responsibilities for both the organisation and employees who work remotely
• selecting relevant control measures before, during and after the work is carried out
• risk assessment for remote work (preparatory, on-site and dynamic assessment)
• managing different remote working scenarios
• emergency preparedness and guidelines for accidents or critical incidents
• supporting both employees and managers who work or lead remotely
• particular attention to psychosocial risks such as isolation and stress

Three benefits of working systematically with remote work situations

• Better understanding of risks and clearer distribution of responsibilities
• Increased resilience in the work, even when the organisation does not have direct control over the workplace
• Better management of psychosocial factors such as isolation, uncertainty and unpredictability

With ISO 45008, you will gain:

• an internationally recognised foundation for safe and healthy remote work
• concrete tools and checklists for risk assessment and control in remote work situations
• stronger support for both employees and managers working remotely
• better prevention – both physical and psychological – in varied and unpredictable work environments